THERION
Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas

Hammerheart Records, 180g black vinyl, insert, Faithfully replicated from the original, still containing the old school feeling; Finally available again: the much sought after debut mini-LP by Swedish Therion. Pure old school Death Metal recorded in 1989 at the legendary Sunlight Studio. ?Time Shall Tell? is the ultimate expression of Therion?s Death Metal relevance and this recording is as brutal, sinister and abstract as anything from the early Swedish Death Metal scene. While their Stockholm contemporaries were busy pounding out punk-based riffs, Therion sounded like they were orbiting the gravitational field of a supernatural vortex. The band?s Hellhammer/Celtic Frost influences have been over-matched by their Possessed and Morbid Angel influences, to great effect. This was the band?s first experience in the legendary Studio Sunlight. ?Time Shall Tell? was recorded in December 1989, almost exactly the same time as ?Left Hand Path?. Therion were never derivative of Nihilist/Entombed, the best parallel is with Grotesque, who recorded (part of) their ?Incantation? EP in the same studio a few months later. Both bands had an evil, twisted sound with lots of tempo changes and some keyboards. Therion never sounded as wild or extreme as Grotesque, but they were heavier and more disciplined. Both EP?s feel like they?re tapping into an alternative vision of early Scandinavian Death Metal. These four songs are the most evolved, complex compositions the band had made until that point. In any case, they sound better, noisier and more abrasive in their original form. Skogsberg got it right on his first attempt. The great thing about music like this is its unpredictability. Death Metal as disorientating and dark as this is a rare beast. Rarely does a band express themselves in ways that resemble what Therion did here. ?Time Shall Tell? is pure in freedom of expression, and thus stands the test of time.

The symphonic metal masters THERION around mastermind Christofer Johnsson belong to the spearheads of orchestral metal since their 1996 album "Theli".

In the early history of the band, however, they were more on dark death metal paths. The three albums: "Beyond Sanctorum" (1992), Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas" (1993) and "Lepaca Kliffoth" (1995) are released as remastered CD reissues via Hammerheart.

A Heavy Dark Occult metal album, spectacular in its uniqueness. Invoke the Dragon! With original artwork.

This is the kind of album that showed the boundaries of Death Metal were not completely explored, as Therion had already partially shown on their previous Death Metal albums where they were one the unique few bands that combined Death Metal with keyboards. On the other hand this album showed that Therion had progressed out of the Death Metal stage where they had gotten the fame of being original within the boundaries of the genre, while still keeping a lot of the elements that were being heard on the previous effort.

This third album deals with various occult rites and occult subjects, as reflected in the song-titles. The content itself could best be described as ‘Dark Occult Metal’. It’s not Death Metal, not heavy metal, and not exactly a mix either. This album takes a lot of elements from the previous album, and introduces a number of new elements, a lot of which would return on the following albums.

This is the kind of album that you will like if you like anything symphonic, bombastic, and/or anything with a tad of occult atmosphere. Therion doesn’t need an orchestra or opera singers to sound like Therion. “Symphony Masses” does not need this to sound symphonic in its own twisted way. You do not even have to be deep into Death Metal to enjoy this little gem.

A perfect collision of Metal and Classical Music!

Swedish symphonic metal legends THERION have returned to deliver another masterpiece - fulfilling the Leviathan trilogy.

With more than 35 years under their belts, the band around mastermind Christofer Johnsson was one of the first to combine metal with symphonic and orchestral elements back in the 90s, and are considered one of the most style-defining founders of symphonic metal today.

Now, the band continues their legacy by releasing the third installment of the Leviathan trilogy, Leviathan III, out December 15, 2023 via Napalm Records.
The band continues with their versatile and style-combining musical journey, which is also formed by the fundamental line of its predecessors Leviathan and Leviathan II.

The album sets off with the powerful “Ninkigal”, catapulting the listener directly into the dramatic universe of THERION with skillfully crafted compositions and operatic female vocals by Lori Lewis, alternating with grim growling and pleasing melodies.

It’s followed by “Ruler of Tamag”, enchanting with a gentle acoustic guitar intro and lingering female vocals that open up to a fairytale-like scenario of old times.

This then bursts into a heavy track with gloomy parts, building up to a fascinating score-like symphony.

THERION once more draw charm from the courage to mix styles ranging from gothic parts to melodic death metal and neo-classical elements to power metal in a complex and versatile way, thus challenging their listeners as witnessed on “Twilight of the Gods”.
The track delivers the finest of epic and symphonic metal, finding a harmonious and balanced blend between guitars, choir and orchestra.

The songs are quickly engaging and skillfully employ catchy melodies, as witnessed on uplifting tracks like “An Unsung Lament” and “Baccanale”.
Advancing melodies are combined with rock elements, captivating lyrics and choir parts, while lively “Maleficium” is structured around a duet between Thomas Vikström and Lori Lewis.

Stomping “Ayahuasca” is a true musical journey featuring a male choir and psychedelic elements, while speedy “Nummo” offers splendid hard guitar explosions and the finest classic vocals and choirs.

Overall, the compositions lean towards the magnificent and theatrical, offering a high variety of musical styles while deftly blurring the boundaries of metal and classical music.

With their newest opus, Leviathan III, mastermind Christofer Johnsson proves his incredible talent once more, and that THERION have perfected their very own combination of versatile styles - resulting in the creation of a symphonic league of their own.